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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Locally: Central Valley grad Taryn Miller one of 30 candidates for women’s soccer Senior CLASS Award

Central Valley's Taryn Miller (23) heads the ball away from Mead's Kara Marbury, right, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013 at Spokane Falls Community College. CV and Mead were playing in the title game in the 4A division in District 8. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)
From staff ,news services

Taryn Miller, a Montana senior from Central Valley and the 2017 Big Sky Conference Defensive MVP, is one of 30 national candidates for the NCAA women’s soccer 2018 Senior CLASS Award.

After playing in a reserve role as a freshman and sophomore, Miller had a breakout season last fall as the Grizzlies led the Big Sky with a 0.72 goals-against average.

She also collected All-Big Sky first-team honors and was named All-West Region third team by the United Soccer Coaches. In the classroom, she carries a 3.91 GPA as an economics major, is a three-time Academic All-Big Sky selection and was a first-team NSC All-West Region Scholar.

“From the moment I arrived in town in June, Taryn has been showing up and asking what she can do for the program and what she can do for everyone else,” said first-year coach Chris Citowicki. “She is always wanting to do more and always wanting to improve everyone else.

“She cares so much about this university and the athletic department, and represents both just perfectly. She is one of the most selfless people I’ve ever come across.”

CLASS is an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, recognizing students for notable achievements in community, classroom, character and competition.

Miller is the only Big Sky player on the the 2018 soccer list, which will be narrowed to 10 finalists next month. Award winners will be announced during the 2018 NCAA Women’s College Cup in December.

College scene

Mark Kharchenko is kicking lights-out for Montana Western.

The Bulldogs sophomore from Colville earned his second straight Frontier Conference Special Teams Player of the Week award in football after going 3-for-3 on extra points and nailing a 51-yard field goal that proved the difference in a 24-21 home win over No. 14 Rocky Mountain.

The 51-yarder ties his career long and is the second longest in the NAIA nationally this season. Kharchenko is 11 of 12 on PATs and 4 of 4 on field goals for the 3-0 Bulldogs, who used the win to climb into the NAIA national rankings at No. 22.

James Mwaura of Gonzaga is 2-for-2 as a collegian and has been rewarded with his first West Coast Conference Men’s Runner of the Week award in cross country.

The freshman from Tacoma ran the fourth-fastest time in program history for 8,000 meters, 23 minutes, 55 seconds, in posting his second win in as many weeks, capturing the Cougar Classic last weekend on the Colfax Golf Course and leading the Bulldogs to a second straight team title.

• A couple of former Greater Spokane League athletes collected weekly honors in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference for the week ending Sept. 17.

McKenna Stocker, a Concordia senior from Central Valley, was the women’s soccer Defensive Player of the Week. She played all 90 minutes and anchored a Cavaliers’ defense that limited Western Washington to four shots on goal in a 1-0 win in an early-season matchup of last year’s two top GNAC teams.

Turlan Morlan, a Central Washington freshman from Gonzaga Prep, was the Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week after he raced to victory in his first collegiate meet, capturing the CWU Invitational against almost exclusively GNAC competition. He averaged a 5-minute, 11-second mile, covering 7,000 meters in 22:37.

• Freshman Drew Wilson scored in both of Whitworth’s matches the week of Sept. 11-17, 4-0 and 2-1 wins, to earn Northwest Conference Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week honors. He is tied for the team goal-scoring lead with three.

• Community Colleges of Spokane’s success atop the Eastern Region continues to earn the Sasquatch honors from the Northwest Athletic Conference.

Alisha Straw, a sophomore outside hitter from Freeman, was the NWAC Volleyball Athlete of the Week for the week ending Sept. 20 and also the East Region Offensive Player of the Week and teammates Lindsey Russell (Mead) and Demary Sugg were co-setters of the week in the East. Straw had 60 kills on 32.8 hitting efficiency in 18 sets, 47 digs, 17 aces and five blocks.

The week before, Lindsey and McKenna Russell, two thirds of CCS’s freshman triplets from Mead, were setter and offensive player of the week, respectively, in the East Region. Sister Allison is a defensive specialist/setter for the Sasquatch.

• Freshman Sydney Bybee (Coeur d’Alene High) and sophomore Chelsea Taylor, who led North Idaho College to the championship of the Lower Columbia Crossover tournament Sept. 14-15, were named to the all-tournament team.

Madi Mott and Jori Kerr from North Idaho College have received honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

Mott, the Northwest Athletic Conference Softball Player of the Year, and Kerr, a first-team All-East Region outfielder during their stellar freshman years, were named NFCA All-America Scholar Athletes with GPAs of 3.5 or higher.

Golf

Russell Grove is a two-time winner of the Pacific Northwest PGA Professional Championship.

The North Idaho College coach successfully defended his title last week at Meadow Springs Country Club in Richland, capturing the 2018 championship in a one-hole playoff with Tim Feenstra of Broadmoor Golf Club in Seattle after they matched 6-under-par 210s for 54 holes.

They will lead a seven-man contingent from the PNW PGA to the 2019 PGA Professional Championship April 28-May 1 in South Carolina.

Gordon Corder from Manito Golf & Country Club finished eighth at 3-under 212 and Loren Jeglum from the University of Idaho course was in a four-way tie for 10th at 214.

Other area competitors included Derek Siesser, Indian Canyon, 218; Corey Prugh, Community Colleges of Spokane, 221; Billy Bomar, Prairie Falls GC, 221; and Trevor Fox, The Golf Club at Black Rock, 221.

Rowing

A couple of former Washington State Cougars captured medals at the 2018 World Rowing Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

Leva Adomaviciute, a Cougar from 2012-17, won the world championship for her native Lithuania in women’s double sculls, capturing gold after she and teammate Milda Valciukaite had second-place finishes in both the opening heat and semifinals.

Lisa Roman, an Olympian from Langley, British Columbia, and a Cougar from 2010-12, is a member of the Canadian women’s eight that won the silver medal for a second straight year, battling back from a fourth-place finish in its opening heat.